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February 08, 2013

Iranian state television aired what it said was a "confession" of spying by Valuch on January 16.

A Slovak arrested by Iran and accused of spying for the United States has been released and allowed to return home.

Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak appeared on February 8 with 26-year-old Matej Valuch in Bratislava.

Lajcak said Valuch was released after "difficult and complicated" negotiations.

Valuch told journalists "I am not a spy," but declined to take questions.

Valuch disappeared in December in Iran, where he had reportedly been working in telecommunications since the summer.

On January 16, Iranian state television aired what it said was a "confession" by Valuch.

In a report titled "The hunter trapped," Valuch said he was hired by the CIA and ran a job recruitment agency as a front.

It was not clear if Valuch was under pressure when he made the video confession.